My sister Megan and I grew up traveling back and forth from our hometown near Norris Lake, Tennessee to Cherokee, North Carolina with my grandparents. Those trips were the heart of my childhood ‒ full of adventure and discovery. Now, as a parent, I’m passing that spirit on to my son.
But let’s get real: Travel costs money. That’s why Megan and I started Cherokee Property Partners, named after the place that sparked our wanderlust. We help families build and manage vacation rentals, which generate income and create space for affordable getaways. With our personal touch and over 15 years of combined industry know-how, we make it easy and stress-free.
We couldn’t do that without digital advertising. When people plan a trip, they want to see where they’re staying, which is why image-driven social media ads are our secret weapon. Photos pull people in, and digital ad targeting ensures they see the rentals they’ll want to come back to year after year. When spring break rolls around, families see our cozy river cottages, while college kids see “big fun” cabins on the lake.
But some states have begun to legislate against the digital advertising data my small business relies on. These moves drive up costs for my business and a large number of other small businesses that depend on digital platforms to compete with large corporations.
That kind of policy doesn’t make sense in Tennessee. We’re known for being pro-growth and business-friendly ‒ it’s one of the biggest reasons people move here and why over 99% of Tennessean businesses are small. At the same time, the demand for digital privacy is real. Consumers deserve transparency about how the sites they visit use their data.
That’s why I support a commonsense solution: a federal standard for digital privacy that protects citizens but allows small businesses to use anonymized consumer data to advertise. Such a move would help keep things simple for businesses that sell nationwide.
As a former small-business owner himself, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann understands how devastating overregulation can be to our communities. That’s why I urge him and the rest of Tennessee’s congressional delegation to lead the charge on comprehensive national data privacy legislation that serves consumers while empowering entrepreneurs to succeed in today’s digital world.
Rodney A. Archer is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Cherokee Property Partners of Andersonville, Tennessee.